Attractive Medium

I am going to explore new mediums. i have a visual fetish for art materials, creative stickers, sporadic bright colours and thread on clothing and even more so 'screen printing'. New software is in for 2008, i have acquired and will master it as i have others. I have gathered and i have researched, i am saving and i am on the prowl for resources to create with.

Sin: I have temporarily given up on other people to learn and work with. It didn't happen in 2007, i really hope it will in 2008.

But more strongly i crave to educate myself, to pleasure myself with new mediums of design. Well thought out conceptual creation is my absolute passion.

My Business Card

Upcoming Exhibition

I will be exhibiting paintings
Starting December 1st
70 James Street South (at Jackson W)
Hamilton

There will be an opening on December the 3rd evening. An event to celebrate St. Paul's 175th anniversary. Since 1833, St. Paul's has been an integral part of the downtown scene in Hamilton. Our beautiful english-gothic stone structure, erected between 1854 and 1857, and designated a heritage building by both the Federal and Provincial governments, stands as a Hamilton landmark with a long and intriguing history.

Inspiration within a City

My ultimate goal as an artist is to inspire people environmentally and politically to become more healthy and aware of their natural surroundings and relationships.


My medical text books fuse symbiotically with my visual art. My work does develop like cells and cities progress. Built slowly over time, adding and subtracting.


I am inspired to create by immunologists, environmentalists, political artists and the health of my own body, others and our ecology. This is why my paintings often become stagnant for months or years, then i decide to re-visit the concept with updated information.

As an artist in Hamilton, Ontario i would like to see more challenging concepts in terms of confronting the politicians, encouraging positive medical research, promoting idea's of environmental benefit for our escarpment, bay, water and air quality. Let's create work to inform the mayor we want to tax Stelco, Dofasco more on their pollution. We are suffering from lung diseases, immune deficiencies because of their toxic smog.

Problem to a Solution

My problems are solutions to other problems. Let me explain. As a visual artist in a considerably large city i am always trying to brainstorm ways to display my work. (Not even sell it). Despite the amount of times that i Impose to galleries and business owners an exhibition involving one piece or an entire series i am rejected by cold hearts. I currently wonder if i find it humorous or disturbing. Sometimes i am led on by galleries or business owners with consent to display work but it hasn't worked for me in the past 6 months.

The problems that i have found are turning into solutions. I will call the following points 'Indications'.

I often attend Art Crawls. Afterwards i find myself very inspired although i haven't necessarily seen any inspiring art or spoken to anyone prolific or progessive.

Actually i spoke to a person of the opposite caliber. A rather interesting character caught my attention, my time and my conversation. They soon disappointed me with an invitation to something extremely illegal, when i strongly declined this person proceeded to accost me requests to use me as an 'artistic' model. I was further from compliant.

I am inspired by my favorite shop. Mixed Media An art supply store, not limited to competitors ideals of displaying mass produced commodities to sell. I am happy to see political / environmental art exhibiting ex: You Me Gallery

I am young but i have had more health complications than older people i know. This confinement to sleep, to recuperation, forced self pampering initially (in childhood) led me to my calling - art. I had to entertain my mind, since my body was weak. I create with my hands and my brain while my cells reproduce within themselves.

I have always voted green but once again the liberal won candidacy. So i am inspired to paint more political work.

I read medical textbooks because i sometimes feel stagnant as a painter. My sweetheart pushes me towards my purpose. My friends advise me to stay with my art. My family encourages my talent.



I am moving towards a breakthrough.

Habits of Humanity Exhibition

Political Panel

Crystal Gem

David Suzuki

Not a Republican

Under water through window

Colorful, Clean, Conceptual & Cultured

Last night an old friend of mine came to visit. The reason why i mention this on my artist blog is because she is also a visual artist from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's a relief to hear that we share opinions about artist related jobs.

We don't want to be 9 to 5 slaves to commercial commissions, especially when the art is rejected after creation. Like in all business, a contract is required and a deposit for all supplies prior to the work's creation as well as a percentage of the labour involved. That way the work cannot be rejected after completion.

I was hired by a shop in Montreal in 2005 to create a 10' x 10' mural of colourful creation on a large glass wall. After i completed the work, the shop owner expressed to her husband in a very foreign language (not french)! that any black outlining on the mural represented evil in her culture and that i had to change all the colours around to hide any dark shading or outlining. I wish she told me prior that she didn't like black. They even erased my small written name at the bottom corner.

I have had more positive experience with visual art commissions though. They introduce artists to community and varying opinions on art. Art is valuable to everyone in a community, it is enlightening conceptually and it charms the atmosphere (most of the time). I have seen one too many crumbling brick walls in my city but graffiti artists are crucified for 'vandalizing' public/private property. I personally do not create art on someone else's property. However, government should encourage more organized murals and work. Coincidentally Hamilton is doing now. There is always room for more.

I am all for the reconstruction of Hamilton to become a more colorful, clean, conceptual and cultured city.

Network Within

When art is rejected after creation. Like in all business however, a contract is required and also a deposit all supplies prior to the work's creation as well as a percentage of the labour involved. That way the work cannot be rejected after completion.

I was hired by a candy shop in Montreal in 2005 to create a 10' x 10' mural of colourful creative candy on a large glass wall. After i completed the work, the shop owner expressed to her husband in chinese that any black outlining on the mural represented evil and that i had to change all the colours around to hide any dark shading or outlining. I wish she just told me prior that she didn't like black. They erased my name off my own mural after i left. Thanks a lot!

I love to paint and enjoy commissions. It introduces artists to community and varying opinions on art.

(In) Completion of Art

For me to feel like my painting is completely finished as a piece: well i have never experienced this. i can't describe the circumstance of event because i haven't lived it. This description of situation is equivalent to me talking about what it's like to marry a rich, power hungry meathead, it's far from what i will live.

I imagine though that if i had a piece that felt and looked to me to be a complete work of art, everything that i meant to express would be clearly represented by symbols or expression, there would be no tranparency in colour anywhere. lines that are meant to be straight would be. all cheeks are well blended. a finished painting will not give me anxiety or frustration to view aesthetically like my unfinished ones.

Which brings me to my memory: i need some new paintbrushes and paints. The more i paint, the more i spend because cheap quality brushes shed bristles or harden. Cheap quality paint goes on transparent even after 2-3 layers. I paint so many layers on every painting i have because i want the consistency of colour to be ripe, the definition of shape to be fit, the physique of form to have depth and temperature. Most importantly, the language of symbol to have well thought out concept.

No, a painting is never complete, how can it be when time does not stand still, even though it doesn't exist in a linear line, like illustrations do.

All at once, waterfall of process

I am at the stage in my life where i actually have a dedicated room in our suite ('our' being myself and anica), to my paintings. It feels fantastically organized. I work on all of my paintings at once. I am using one colour and that one colour goes onto ALL of my paintings that need that specific colour, this way i only have to clean the brushes, palette and paint one time. per layer that is, because all oil painters know, that a painting is never really done because of the fading, the cracking, the transparency, the tiny mistakes, the change of mind for colour etc. hahah, oh paintings take several years to complete. so i have a shower curtain laying on the floor of my wood floors otherwise . . . well you know. paint stains!

The paintings posted below are 2 examples of my current work. 'The judgements of a stranger' is a long time ongoing piece, 12 x 16" oil on canvas which started in 2001. I have changed the patterns, colours and design of the image several times. The concept is in relation to the layers of time and place of atmosphere. linear time does not exist in this portrayal, but somehow growth and motion do.

The other with the yellow background is a brand new piece i just started on some canvas' from holland, my oma bought me (thanks oma), which is david suzuki on top holding a snake and myself on the bottom canvas on the bottom holding my mothers potted plant. The concept is self explanatory, and if you feel confused of the concept, well then that's that.

The judgements of a Stranger

Exhibition, but first organization!

I am preparing for an exhibition in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I have a lot of work. 97% of which is oil on canvas, political work. 2% is pointillism, framed in gold art deco and glass. 1% is a 6x7 foot canvas which is currently rolled, i'm going to have to stretch it IN the gallery before hanging, because of it's massive size. It is extremely bright and in illustration style.

I still have to decide on a show title, which hasn't even crossed my mind yet, but i'm confident of creating something spicy and politically charged.

My dilema however is the undeniable fact that my work is so political and fumingly racey that i dare even propose to the galleries that actually interest me. The galleries that i predict would be interested in showing my work are the 'underground' more communal type venues are the (stereotypically) less known, smaller galleries, with poor organization skills, no proper signs, advertising, media and even 'cleanliness'.

Personally i have had one too many exhibitions where i have to sand and putty the previous shows nail holes, repaint, hang my own work (hanging i don't mind doing myself), make my own vernisage promotions and buy the wine for the opening. In some cases i actually even paid for the location. Don't even get me started!

I am deadset on having several exhibitions simultaneously even. solo or shared. In the very near future.

So come on Hamilton gallery owners, get organized, mop the floor, get your clutter out of back area, which is visible from the front window, promote your gallery and your artists, have a catchy sign, be professional. Then i will exhibit with you all.

If i only ran my own gallery space, i would control this all.

My Australian Painting

Me Behind Water Fall (Art Gallery of Victoria Melbourne Australia)

Drawing in Melbourne (Infamous Alley)

Melbourne Grafitti

David Suzuki drawing and photo of me with tour bus

Me Playing Hockey (Caledonia, Ontario, Canada)

Hockey (Caledonia, Ontario, Canada) - me

You'll Need a Helmet

Coherant Community

Organic Concrete? ha

Enceinte (Pregnant)

Fractal of Crimson

Paralax (Diptych)

Circuitry

Record of Our Changing Culture

Oxygen and H20

Habits of Humanity

Ink Inc.

Touch

The Day of My Hanging - Montreal

Self Portrait 2003

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Artist & Girlfriend Beheading George W Bush

Hollywood Can't Get Enough

Beaver Down Unda

I have been the 'Beaver down under' for a year. This Canadian has returned to her homeland of Canada. My hands are cold on the silver keys typing blog entry 1.

In a disturbed state of mind, mostly the result of jett lag. On the last plane (out of 3 rides) i didn't know what was up or down. Sudden nausciousness for someone who is not afraid of heights or speeds means anxiety i suppose. From what? Oh the Americans of course. Yeah, i flew from Sydney to Tokyo with no complaints, then from Tokyo to Chicago and as soon as i stepped into America, i heard married couples arguing loudly in front of strangers to hear. I was embarrassed for them! Then an American official, officer of homeland security degraded me with his condescending lecture . . . he went off at me (a lost and tired stranger to him) 'You'll need your damn bording pass of course, what the hell do you think you need to get through here, jesus, you'd think you'd know that, Christ, go through here already will ya'!

So Americans don't value religion afterall. This one didn't. Maybe some do. Not that i do. Not that i am American!

Nor did they display value in privacy, confidentiality or equality but heck, we all knew that already from the news right?

I am not racist. But i do value privacy, confidentiality, equality and peace! Something that all the passengers on my American Airlines flight 010 Chicago to Toronto seemed to know nothing about.

Even the stewardess' were talking loudly, right behine me (i had the very back seat), talking about their husbands in the army base (at this point i had my forearms on the seat in front of me about to use the paper bag for the very first time). They talked more loud than all people in Japan combined. No tact, No shame. No secrets. The only American secret of course would be hidden amongst the politicians.

Yes, i'm back in the North, where i belong, where the snow falls freely and the wind blows frost and george w bush is not the boss.